Britons spend hundreds of hours scrolling every year Streaming services are looking for what to watch. Yahoo wants to save you scrolling by recommending one movie — less than two hours — which you should watch this week, every Friday. This is something worth watching.
Netflix has become a popular place for Christmas movies over the past few years. Many of them follow a very specific format – there's an icy social climber who ends up in a cottage somewhere with a dashing gardener in a jersey suit, who teaches her that the true meaning of Christmas can't be found in spreadsheets and power suits. There's nothing wrong with these films – and some of them are very funny – but it's fair to say we've been there, done that and got the itchy Christmas jumper.
But Netflix's stature among Christmas cinemas has also brought some real gems for families. It's just wonderful there Richard CurtisFor example, the author’s animation “That Christmas 2024”. However, the pinnacle of this genre is undoubtedly the 2018 film The Christmas Chronicles, in which Kurt Russell plays as politely and sexy as possible cinematic Santa Claus of all times.
What is The Christmas Chronicles?
At first glance, the plot is very simple. Holiday true believer Kate (Darby Camp) enlists her teenage brother Teddy (Judah Lewis) to prove Santa is real with a video camera. They succeed, but in the process cause Santa's sleigh to crash, separating him from the reindeer and gifts he needs to deliver before morning to prevent a permanent decline in Christmas spirit. Just a sweater-wearing caretaker and a joyless CEO, not just a holiday cliche.
However, Kurt Russell was never found in the basement of banal holiday entertainment. He's an absolute force of nature, channeling every last megawatt of his movie star charisma into his red suit and bushy beard. “Santa Claus?” – Kate asks in surprise after the crash. “Live and in person. Just one night,” grins Russell’s humorless Saint Nick with typical composure.
“I hope you like coal,” he deadpans when a restaurant patron angrily refuses to help him.
Why do we like it
Russell plays the role of a special Santa Claus. He's warm, friendly, and driven by a desire to make this day special for children everywhere (naturally), but he's also smart, sarcastic, and completely unpredictable.
It takes a unique Santa Claus to be able to perform an Elvis Presley musical number in a prison cell (an homage to Russell's role as the King of Rock 'n' Roll in the 1979 John Carpenter made-for-TV biopic), or joke from behind the wheel of a speeding Dodge Challenger that he's “trading eight reindeer for 400 horses.”
Kurt Russell as Santa Claus in The Christmas Chronicles. (Netflix)
Any shortcomings in Matt Lieberman's script, previously only addressed in the direct-to-TV Doctor Dolittle sequel, are quickly smoothed over by Russell's frenetic comic energy. When Santa is asked to simply quote a Christmas carol as if it were a cool Schwarzenegger one-liner, he growls it with aplomb.
However, that doesn't mean it's a Christmas movie just for adults. It's full of action scenes that director Clay Kaytis, formerly best known for his nearly 20 years as a Disney animator, pulls off with real flair. Very few holiday movies can boast as many car chases as this one.
Meanwhile, kids will love the colorful fantasy of Santa's North Pole headquarters. As opposed to more cynical holiday fare like Red One, why not celebrate Christmas from a military-style warehouse? – This is Christmas as the most magical time of the year.
Need to know
📽️ Movie: The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
⏰ Lead time: 103 m
🎭 Actors: Kurt Russell, Oliver Hudson, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Jesse Gervasi
🍿 Genre: Family film
🤔 Similar to: That Christmas, Candy Cane Lane, Family Switch
📺 Streaming service: Netflix
🍅 Ratings: 67% on Rotten Tomatoes, 2.9/5 on Letterboxd, 7.0 out of 10 on IMDb
And this magic permeates the emotional core of the story – the relationship between the two children and their complex family ties. At the beginning of the film, they are both dealing with the loss of their father, a firefighter who died in the line of duty. This storyline features some of the film's cheesiest elements, but in its best moments there is real heart, such as the children stopping outside the church to listen to the echoes of their father's favorite song before reflecting on the fact that they haven't been to church since they lost him.
The Christmas Chronicles uses this kind of material lightly, allowing emotional punches to be delivered before deftly moving on to a fight scene, Russell singing in prison, or some CGI elves who love to dance.
The Christmas Chronicles also has a family-oriented message at its core. (Netflix)
What the critics thought
It was this emotional chatter that led to some very mixed reviews for The Christmas Chronicles when it first appeared. But like many holiday films, it's not the critics that matter, it's the people who watch it every year and take it to their hearts.
Netflix reported that 20 million households watched the film in its first week of release, leading to the release of a sequel in 2020 – adding Goldie Hawn to the cast as Mrs. Claus after her crucial cameo in the first film.
The Christmas Chronicles 2 lacks the chaotic energy of its predecessor and, as a result, doesn't have the same dose of holiday magic, despite the chemistry between real-life couple Russell and Hawn. But that doesn't stop the original “The Christmas Chronicles” from being one of the most enjoyable seasonal films of the last decade.
That sound you hear? Bells… are you listening?
Broadcasts of The Christmas Chronicles on Netflix.
